about_CimSession
Short description
Describes a CimSession object and the difference between CIM sessions and PowerShell sessions.
Long description
This information only applies to PowerShell running on Windows.
A Common Information Model (CIM) session is a client-side object that represents a connection to a local computer or a remote computer. You can use CIM sessions as an alternative to PowerShell sessions (PSSessions). Both approaches have advantages.
You can use the New-CimSession cmdlet on a Windows computer to create a CIM
session that contains information about a connection, such as computer name,
the protocol used for the connection, session ID, and instance ID.
After you create a CimSession object that specifies information required to establish a connection, PowerShell does not establish the connection immediately. When a cmdlet uses the CIM session, PowerShell connects to the specified computer, and then, when the cmdlet finishes, PowerShell terminates the connection.
If you create a PSSession instead of using a CIM session, PowerShell validates connection settings, and then establishes and maintains the connection. If you use CIM sessions, PowerShell does not open a network connection until needed. For more information about PowerShell sessions, see about_PSSessions.
When to use a CIM session
Only cmdlets that work with a Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) provider or CIM over WS-Man accept CIM sessions. For other cmdlets, use PSSessions.
When you use a CIM session, PowerShell runs the cmdlet on the local client. It connects to the WMI provider using the CIM session. The target computer does not require PowerShell, or even any version of the Windows operating system.
In contrast, a cmdlet run using a PSSession runs on the target computer. It requires PowerShell on the target system. Furthermore, the cmdlet sends data back to the local computer. PowerShell manages the data sent over the connection, and keeps the size within the limits set by Windows Remote Management (WinRM). CIM sessions do not impose the WinRM limits.
Using CDXML cmdlets
CIM-based Cmdlet Definition XML (CDXML) cmdlets can be written to use any WMI Provider. All WMI providers use CimSession objects. For more information about CDXML, see CDXML definition and terms.
CDXML cmdlets have an automatic CimSession parameter that can take an array of CimSession objects. By default, PowerShell limits number of concurrent CIM Connections to 15. This limit can be overridden by CDXML cmdlets that implement the ThrottleLimit. See the individual cmdlet documentation to understand the ThrottleLimit.